Democrats took control over the House of Representatives and the Senate in a sweeping midterm election that saw voters reject President Donald Trump’s endorsed candidates and policies. Amid the “blue wave,” numerous candidates made history as they won—becoming the first of their background, or their gender, to hold the office. While many of them “avoided focusing on the inherent historic value of their race, gender, religion or sexual orientation, some voters’ rights advocates are celebrating how the electorate has expanded,” notes the .
With the Democrats’ victory, too, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries will likely become the first Black Speaker of the House. These wins are because of them.” While the majority of these politicians are Democrats, two Republican governors also made history last night—Marsha Blackburn, who became the first woman elected to serve as governor of Tennessee, and Bryon Donalds, who is set to become Florida’s first Black governor.
Ahead, 17 soon-to-be senators, governors, and members of the House of Representatives who also claimed a historic “first” in the midterms. El-Sayed became the first Muslim American elected to the Senate. Flanagan, a member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe, is set to become the first Native American woman to serve in the Senate. (She could be joined by Alaska’s Mary Peltola, of the Yup’ik tribe, but that race has not been called yet.) Turek, two-time Paralympic gold medalist for Team USA (with the wheelchair basketball team), was elected in Iowa.
He will become the first Senator to have been a Paralympian, and the first Senator with spina bifida. Not only did Bottoms become Georgia’s first Black and first female governor, she is the first Black woman to be elected governor of any U.S. state. Hinojosa was elected the first Latina governor of Texas.
She will also be the first Democratic governor of the Lone Star State in more than three decades. Haaland, former United States Secretary of the Interior, will be the first Native American woman governor. Haaland, of Pueblo Indian descent, is no stranger to making history: She was the the first Native American cabinet secretary.
Acton defeated Vivek Ramaswamy to become the first woman elected governor of Ohio and the state’s first Jewish governor. Crowley will become the first Black governor of Wisconsin. He actually dropped out of the race over the summer, but rejoined at the urging of the outgoing Democratic governor.
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